Eye-Openers: Bad times for fish, recording artists

Lots of links to get to this morning, so get the coffee ready. How the mackerel collapse says the oceans are dying. Bruce Jenkins fires a shot across the bow and stands up for the Gold Dust Lounge. One person’s dislike of pour-over coffee. Jack London Square’s focus shifts. Reviews for Wo Hing and Roostertail and much more.

Josh Sens reviews Charles Phan’s Wo Hing General Store, giving it 2.5 stars: “Witness Wo Hing General Store, the latest (and best) of Phan’s satellite projects, which finds him back in the venue where he started, breaking out material he hasn’t done before.” [San Francisco Magazine]

Patricia Unterman reviews Roostertail, the new chicken joint in the old Cafe Kati: “While nothing can beat a chicken roasted at home, torn apart hot from the oven, the golden-skinned birds at Roostertail … Though Roostertail errs on the side of doneness, the breast meat maintains moisture and flavor. Even I, a committed thigh lover, could go white here.” [SF Examiner]

Is America’s newfound food passion killing the record industry? A theory of where America is spending money. [Bon Appetit, Tom Ewing]

You know what’s worse than the state of the record industry? The state of the ocean’s fish. Stocks of mackerel have declined from 30 million metric tons to less than a tenth of that in two decades; experts say it may foretell the progressive collapse of fish stocks in all oceans. It’s a depressing, must-read piece. [New York Times]

On the “scourge” of pour-over coffee: “Nevermind the mystique; the actual mechanics of pour-overs are more or less those of a broken coffee pot: hot water slowly goes through coffee grounds, making only one cup of coffee at a time … It’s just kind of a more elaborate, maybe slightly tastier way of brewing coffee.” [The Awl]